ARTBosphorus kicks off with a dynamic program

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

ARTBosphorus 2012 will feature performance, paintings, video art, music, workshops and much more.

The 5th ARTBosphorus contemporary art fair kicks off today at the Haliç Congress Center, presenting the work of 300 artists from 20 different countries. This year’s theme, “Lines, Forms and Dreams,” tries tell stories of the journey between reality and dream.

This year ARTBosphorus will host artists including Emire Konuk, Shalva Kahaghanasvili, Jacques Crenn, Maslen & Mehra, Nick Morley, Marek, Aliska Lahusen, Annette Turrillo, Karim Borjas, Iliko Zautasvili, Paul Eachus, Joachim Seinfeld, Holger John, Onay Akbaş, Bedri Baykam, Resul Aytemür, Muhsin Kut, Zeynep Dilek Çetiner, Mehmet Çetiner, Bahri Genç, Saim Erken, Dilara Akay and Özgür Korkmazgil. Last year 15,000 people visited the fair, but this year the organizers are hoping for 30,000. There are many aspects to art, according to Denizhan Özer, curator of ARTBosphorus 2012, who has managed to create a fair that draws from many artistic disciplines. “We are focusing on the different aspects of art at ARTBosphorus 2012.”
Buyable art is important and necessary, Özer said. “However, the more important thing is to showcase art that can’t be bought, and it will be possible to see that art at this event.”

ARTBosphorus 2012 will feature performance, paintings, video art, music, workshops and much more. The goal, according to Özer, when choosing a venue for the fair, was to make the fair as interactive as possible. “Our aim is to make ARTBosphorus a leading art event in this international era,” Özer said. “We want to feature performance art, video art, workshops and musical performances.”

The fair has a dynamic program, which will present contemporary art from different angles. New at ARTBosphorus this year is the “Sculpture Garden,” hosted by the Koridoor Contemporary Art Program. The sea-facing side of the building’s garden will exhibit a total of 30 sculptural pieces, made by Turkish sculptors, and while the fair will host many contemporary Turkish art galleries and artists, audiences will also have the chance to discover contemporary artwork from around the globe. The video art and new media sections of the fair also come to the fore. Peter Campus from New York, Paris’ Shalva Kahaghanasvili, London’s George Unsworth, Magda Gruli of Georgia, and Park Beyon from Seoul, South Korea will be among the artists exhibiting work at ARTBosphorus this year.

Performance art on the rise

Performance artists, including South Korean dancer Yong Gu Shin, will take center stage at ARTBosphorus. Shin has attended many biennales and festivals around the world, and has prepared a new performance for the fair, titled “New Future.” Japanese performance artist Eizo Sakata will also present a new interactive work for ARTBosphorus audiences, taking prints of the lips of audience members, using grapes, and exhibiting work based on the collected prints.

Holger John will perform his performance painting piece “Mon General,” and Fulya Peker will perform her stage composition “Yellow Voice,” in which she interacts with the audience.